24 Hours at the Border

Mar 15, 2019
2:02 PM
Originally published at Latino USA

Father Roy Snipes, saying mass at La Lomita chapel in Mission, Texas. (Photo by Maggie Freleng/Latino USA)

Over the past two months, President Donald Trump has been demanding funds from Congress to build his proposed border wall, which led to the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history. Now, President Trump is reportedly asking Congress for more money, exactly $8.6 billion in wall funds.

As Congress and the White House continue to clash over the funding of the border wall, Latino USA heads down to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas to visit the communities affected by the government’s decisions about the border and immigration.

Latino USA‘s Maria Hinojosa and Maggie Freleng visit La Lomita chapel in Mission, Texas, which is being threatened by the possibility of a wall cutting across its property. They meet Roy Snipes, the “cowboy priest” who shows them the border by taking them on a boat ride down the Rio Grande.

Migrants in Matamoros, Mexico (Photo by Maggie Freleng/Latino USA)

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This Latino USA podcast was reported and produced by Maggie Freleng and Maria Hinojosa.

NPR’s Latino USA with Maria Hinojosa, produced by Futuro Media, is the longest running Latino-focused program on U.S. public media.